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Opinion Contributor

President Obama has the team to modernize national security

Obama surrounded himself with some of the most creative foreign policy thinkers, the author writes. | AP Photos

Our oversized nuclear arsenal is a perfect example of the anachronistic thinking that continues to dictate military strategy and spending. By rethinking an outdated nuclear posture, Obama’s team can deliver a much needed one-two punch: make the U.S. and the world safer, and free up billions of dollars for higher-priority defense programs, such as counterterrorism and cybersecurity.

Leaders of both parties believe the United States has far more nuclear weapons than it needs to respond to any conceivable security threat. Moreover, nuclear reductions would demonstrate to the world that America is committed to nuclear nonproliferation. Finally, right-sizing the arsenal would save billions of dollars. In an era of fiscal austerity, addressing nuclear weapons spending should be at the top of the priorities list.

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The next four years will require critical and creative thinking about how to reduce our reliance on nuclear weapons, reshape military spending, and, more broadly, rethink America’s role in the world. The American public has long been ready for this change — and the time has come to reap some of the benefits of the end of the Cold War. Now the president, vice president, and Secretaries Kerry and Hagel must provide the leadership to make this a reality.

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Robert Gard Jr. is the chairman of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation and a former executive assistant to two secretaries of defense. Terry Lierman serves on the board of directors of the Council for a Livable World. He previously served as a staffer on the Senate Appropriations Committee and in the House of Representatives.